Salma Hayek: Tears are no use on charity missions

Salma Hayek doesn't let herself get mushy during her charity work.

The 49-year-old actress known for her philanthropic work as well as her onscreen performances and supports numerous causes close to her heart.

One do good trip in particular stands out most for Salma, when she visited India in 1996 to help the late Mother Teresa at her hospices in Calcutta. Despite the conditions, the star managed to keep herself composed.

“I don’t cry. I get things done, but [I’m] not cold or mushy. And I think on my toes. There were things that none of the volunteers were willing to do. I’m willing to do anything,” Salma explained to Latina magazine. “I was washing all of the patients with diarrhoea all day long. I was shaving heads full of lice, curing wounds where maggots were coming out, vaccinating patients. I became a little bit of a leader in there.”

During her travels Salma notices that women are the ones who suffer the most. Having been raised by a father who imparted strong moral values, the actress has grown up treating everyone equally despite their race, class or gender.

This is in part why although she supports Latino issues, Salma won't focus solely on that area.

"I don't want to be labelled by my own people. That's not all who I am. I am Latina. I am Mexican. I am proud of those things," she added. "I am American. I care for the United States. I care for Mexico, but I also care for the rest of the world. And I think that makes me a better person. I think of myself first as a human being. A lot of things that come from my Latino background have helped me improve myself as a human being."